"Well written, funny and wistful" - Paul Linford; "He is indeed the Lib Dem blogfather" - Stephen Tall"Jonathan Calder holds his end up well in the competitive world of the blogosphere" - New Statesman"A prominent Liberal Democrat blogger" - BBC Radio 4 Today programme"Charming and younger than I expected" - Wartime Housewife

Saturday, March 18, 2017

Richard Billington, the chairman of Ukip in Harborough, who told potential candidates they could "make money by doing nothing" if they got elected to Leicestershire County Council" has been dropped as a candidate himself.

He will not now be fighting the Foxton and West Harborough ward.

The announcement was made, says the Leicester Mercury, in a statement from David Sprason, who is Ukip's Leicestershire chairman and the party's national welfare and social policy spokesman.

The Mercury also quotes Billington's email (which was also sent to some people outside the party).

It begins:

"If you want to help yourself, your family and UKIP please stand.

"You need to do nothing.

"I will do the legwork. I only need three people now.

"I just want your name on a form - that's all.

So far, if we accept a charitable interpretation of helping yourself and your family, no problem. All parties field paper candidates.

But it goes on:

"If you by chance win, you can always avoid the meetings - 8 per year and still collect a few thousands £ until they ask you to leave!

"If the half-wits in the Lords can make money by doing nothing, so can we!

"It's a strange thing democracy!"

Sprason's statement says a full investigation into Billington's actions by the Ukip chairman will take place.

From that I assume he is still a Ukip member. But surely they can find someone else to chair their Harborough branch?

David Sprason, incidentally, came to the attention of this blog a few years ago, when he was still a Conservative, after some trouble over a fruity DVD.